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Jeff Sullivan FanGraphs Chat -- 1/18/19
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Jeff Sullivan
9:04
Hello friends
Welcome to Friday baseball chat
Mookie Butts
9:05
Why are the Yankees trying to win so much?  It feels like a personal attack.
Jeff Sullivan
9:05
It should feel like a personal attack
Do you remember what happened in 2018
9:06
I don't think the Yankees liked that very much
Guest
9:06
For some reason folding Ottavino into the Yankees Depth Chart has the effect of lowering their RP WAR from 6.4 to 6.2. Pretty funny in the context of your article
Jeff Sullivan
9:06
I saw that too, and it's amusing
9:07
But of course, one thing the depth charts struggle to account for is...depth. Realistically Ottavino doesn't move the Yankees' ceiling very much, but he raises the floor of bullpen performance. One more great reliever who'd have to have something go wrong for the group to not be a strength
cheapskate drifter
9:07
i forwarded your ottavino piece to my yankee coworker.  he replied back "great article".  so there's that.
Jeff Sullivan
9:07
People like when articles flatter their teams
All affection is fleeting and conditional
TomBruno23
9:08
Who takes more PAs in RF for STL this season: Fowler, Jose Martinez or Tyler O'Neill?
Jeff Sullivan
9:08
Right now I'm going to say Martinez. Fowler will get his chances but Martinez is too good of a hitter to sit very often and I'm no longer certain he gets traded
Toshi
9:09
Hi Jeff, thank you for the chat. If Colon faces Ichiro next season, their combined ages will be 90yrs old plus. Would this be the oldest matchup ever in MLB?
Jeff Sullivan
9:09
Probably not, because Satchel Paige threw three innings in the majors at the age of 58. But that's kind of cheating
9:10
Here's a very relevant blog entry from 2012! http://www.highheatstats.com/2012/03/oldest-batter-vs-pitcher-matchups...
9:11
Julio Franco vs. Roger Clemens, 2007: 93 combined years old
9:12
I'm afraid Colon vs. Ichiro still wouldn't get there, not in 2019
BJOGC
9:12
Do you remember when teams wouldn't stop giving Brett Anderson tens of millions of dollars per year? I looked at his player page, in his one good year, he was a 4FIP 7k/9 guy. What was up with that?
Jeff Sullivan
9:13
Anderson arrived on the scene right around when analysts were in love with strikeouts and grounders. It was hard to find pitchers who could reliably generate both, and so Anderson stood out. He...hasn't fulfilled much of his promise ever since
Jason
9:14
How are you going to celebrate the Hall of Fame induction of the greatest DH of all-time?
Jeff Sullivan
9:15
I'll experience a brief moment of joy and relief, but then the moment will pass, because as far as Cooperstown is concerned, I don't give a shit. They've ruined it for me
stever20
9:15
which team do you give the edge to right now in the AL East?  Boston or the Yankees....
Jeff Sullivan
9:15
Yankees
JM
9:15
Padres opening day 3rd baseman is....
Jeff Sullivan
9:16
Not in the organization right now
9:17
There was that rumor the other day that connected them to Kluber so that they could try to get Senzel. Hard to see that actually happening but they're presumably aiming high. Along similar lines, you wonder if they might try for Riley from the Braves
Don't think they just want a stopgap, but that might be what they have to settle for
LAA fan
9:19
Would someone like Patrick Sandoval be enough to get Gray from NYY?
Jeff Sullivan
9:19
Only a few months ago, Sandoval was part of the return for a half-season of Martin Maldonado. Sonny Gray is more desirable than Martin Maldonado
9:20
It would take more, in other words. Lots of teams sniffing around
Raysfaninminnesota
9:20
Do you still see the Rays making a big move before Spring Training?  JTR, Encarnacion, Bumgarner, LeClerc, etc?
Jeff Sullivan
9:22
I no longer think it's likely, although I do believe Realmuto remains an option. But it would be unlike Tampa Bay to invest heavily in a two-year player. The team is good, now, and it's deep, now. It also happens to be hilariously cheap. Could use another top-tier bullpen arm, but I think moving forward you just have to hope that whatever they're saving now gets reinvested as the young team gets a little older and a little more expensive in the future
9:23
I don't think the Rays *intended* to have such a low current payroll. But there's no sense spending for spending's sake when the roster is already so talented and they weren't able to land Goldschmidt, Cruz, etc.
Craig
9:23
Is the Angels hope that Allen is only needed for 1 year, and Keynan Middleton takes the reins of closer in 2020? Or is projecting injured closers that far out too much of a fool’s errand?
Jeff Sullivan
9:24
Eppler and the Angels seem to prefer to avoid big reliever contracts. And you can see the sense of it, given how often big reliever contracts go off the rails. Good relievers are, at least in theory, the easiest players to develop, and they probably figure they have enough live arms that, a year from now, someone will emerge
Maybe Justin Anderson will learn how to throw more strikes
9:25
On paper, the Angels would've been a great destination for Craig Kimbrel, but I have no idea what sort of terms Kimbrel would accept
Ben
9:25
Whose Braves' opening day RF? Brantley seemed perfect fit. They don't wanna lose draft pick to sign Pollock. Jones/Cargo/Markakis seem fairly underwhelming, as does Duvall. Maybe they're just gonna let Acuna & Inciarte roam a 2 man outfield.
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